Cultivated in moist forest regions. Hainan [native to Africa (Congo River basin: Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo), growing as rheophyte; widely planted in tropical regions, though perhaps not so often in recent decades].

This species is presumably diploid and has been occasionally hybridized with other species to produce commercial coffee (Purseglove, Trop. Crops: Dicot. 458. 1968; Bridson, Fl. Trop. E. Africa, Rub. (Pt. 2), 703. 1988).